Three Lessons from the Rich Young Ruler

The Rich Young Ruler by Liz Lemon Swindle

The gospel of Matthew includes an account of a rich young ruler who approached the Savior for counsel. Their short conversation is of such value to all of us that it was recorded by Matthew and has been preserved over thousands of years. At least three lessons in this account are of particular emphasis.

First, the young man was seeking what he desired. Matthew records, "And, behold, one came and said unto [Christ], Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Sincere desire is a first step in following Christ. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness," the Savior promised, "for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Do we seek after the blessings we want from God as actively and as often as we seek for a sandwich or a cup of water? This is the first lesson.

The Savior responded to the young man's inquiry:

And he said unto him... if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and they mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Many of us would be content with this answer. The young man, evaluating himself, pressed for more, "All these things have I kept from my youth up," he continued, "What lack I yet?"

How often do we forfeit blessings because we stop asking for them? Are we satisfied with a surface-level answer or do we dig for how we can be better? And are we willing to sacrifice to make up for what we lack? This is the second lesson.

Again, the Lord, who knows all of our hearts, responded to the young man's inquiry:

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect,go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:16-23).

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven," the Savior taught on another occasion, "but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). The apostle James, a half-brother of Jesus', added, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26).

We must ask a question to receive an answer. We have to actively seek for blessings to find them. If we desire to enter into heaven, we must learn how to knock on the door and enter in by the way (see Matthew 7:7).

The need for faith and works to obtain the blessings we desire is frequently demonstrated in scripture.  When his steel bow broke, leaving his family without a way to find food, Nephi prayed for the Lord's help and then started crafting a wooden bow. When he had done all he could, the Lord showed him where to find game in the desert (see 1 Nephi 16).

Moses was commanded to free his people and wanted to obey. Facing the pharaoh was a perilous task, but he had trust in God and acted on the direction he received. His faith and works contributed to parting the Red Sea and other mighty miracles.

For those seeking blessings of health, the Lord instructs, "And whosoever among you are sick, and... believe, shall be nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food... And the elders of the church, two or more, shall be called, and shall pray for and lay their hands upon them in my name" (D&C 42:43). Blessings of healing include asking God and pursuing medical treatment.

Knowledge and learning requires faith and works. "Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom," the Lord commands, "yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118). When we do all we can, the Lord will multiply our efforts. This is the lesson the rich young ruler missed.

With the advantage of hindsight, we can learn from the Savior's encounter with the rich young ruler. We can remember that we find the things we seek most diligently, so we should seek the kingdom of God like a starving person seeks a meal; We can learn to ask probing questions of ourselves and the Lord in order to find where we can improve and better qualify ourselves for salvation; And we can learn to follow through on the knowledge we receive from God by doing all we can to receive the blessings we desire.

Good Tidings of Great Joy

The Baptism of Jesus Christ

In the third chapter of Matthew we read of the baptism of Jesus Christ. Our Savior approached John the Baptist, his cousin, who had the priesthood authority to baptize. John had just explained to his disciples that his baptism was unto repentance and that more was to come from someone more authorized than himself.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

As John learned at the baptism of Christ, there is more to baptism than repentance only. It is true that baptism washes away our sin, but it does so because with our immersion in water we enter into a certain covenant. We promise God that we will be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, always remember him and keep his commandments. God promises us the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The key phrases in that covenant are that we are willing and that we take upon ourselves the name of Christ. I've written about willingness before here. Taking upon ourselves the name of Christ includes, among other things, literally accepting his name just as a bride accepts the name of her groom. Just as the union of two people by marriage allows them to be seen legally and otherwise as one family unit, the union of individuals to Christ by baptism allows us to be seen by the laws of God as one unit together with Christ.

Our baptism is the covenant by which we can become unified with Christ and, therefore, judged as one with him if we keep the rest of the covenant, i.e. if we remain willing and obedient. As fallen men and women, each of whom has committed sin(s), this is the only way we may be judged worthy to enter God's kingdom.

That is a little different story for our Savior, Jesus Christ. Free from the burdens of sinful disobedience, he was the only person with the capacity and power to return to live with God independent of outside assistance. He did not need baptism to be clean from sin. So why was he baptized?

Christ told John he was baptized to, 'fulfil all righteousness'. Nephi had the same answer, noting only the valuable example it would provide for the rest of us:

And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized in water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!... But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping the commandments (2 Nephi 31:5, 7)

Righteousness refers to actions that are justified with or pleasing to God. The opposite of sin, righteousness simply means acting according to the will of God. Fulfilling all righteousness would then be doing everything according to the will of God. It is perfect righteousness.

Christ completed his mission to fulfill all righteousness. Even in the excruciating moments of Gethsemane, he prayed, 'O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done' (Matthew 26:42). He did everything God asked of Him-- yet, that doesn't seem to completely explain why a perfect man, our Creator and Savior, was baptized.

Perhaps Christ was not baptized for repentance, but rather to enter into the same covenant that we do when we are baptized. A bride cannot be married if the groom is not present. Perhaps he covenanted with God to give his name to us-- even to suffer, bleed and die for us-- if we would be willing to accept it through our individual faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. As a bride and groom entering the marriage covenant, perhaps Christ was baptized because He loves us dearly and wants to help and guide and provide for us.

These are only my thoughts, so perhaps some caution would be wise. Yet in them reside a few certain truths: Jesus Christ is our Savior and our perfect example, he was baptized by immersion by someone authorized to do so, he loves each of us and he wants us to return to live with our Heavenly Father. This can only happen if we follow his example:

And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father (3 Nephi 11: 33-35).

A Relationship Collage

Sometimes in the scriptures, particularly in the New Testament, it seems as though the text randomly and very suddenly jumps from one subject to another. One moment we're reading about forgiveness, the next about salt or sheep or coins, and the next about faith or knocking on doors or picking motes or beams from our eyes. The seeming disjointedness has often contributed to my own perception of the Bible as a more difficult text than its Book of Mormon counterpart.

That changed a little bit this week as my wife helped me see the connections in the seemingly unrelated passages of Matthew chapter 18. Focusing on the connections, rather than the apparent lack of connections, turned an obstacle into a blessing as I saw the Bible in a whole new light.

In Matthew 18, Christ teaches his disciples about caring for children, plucking out eyes or cutting of hands that offend us, seeking for lost sheep, dealing with those who have offended us and a king who forgave an unforgiving servant before delivering him to the tormentors because of his unforgivingness. Each passage seemed to be independently useful, but tangent from any core theme or moral.

Read more carefully, and inserting the Joseph Smith translations where they appear, the lesson transforms into a collage of focused doctrine, stories and experiences on a single theme. It began with this question: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Using a child as an example, Christ responded: Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:2-3). Remembering the teachings of Paul (Romans 8:16-17) and King Benjamin (Mosiah 5:7-8), we can understand from this reply that as we humble ourselves and take His name upon us through baptism, we may become joint heirs with Christ of all the Father has. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who make and keep the baptismal covenant, returning through the Atonement to the Celestial Kingdom with the innocence of small children. Adding the requirement of faith in verse six, Christ  provides a complete, profound yet succinct answer to the question.

Having highlighted our relationship with our Heavenly Father in his reply, the Savior then takes the rest of the chapter to teach us about our earthly relationships. This should sound familiar to those who have listened to any of the modern sessions of General Conference, which also tend to teach the gospel in a family-centered context. The essence of all of our relationships, Christ teaches, must be to prepare each other to return to live with God. He explains that:

If thy hand or they foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. And a man's hand is his friend, and his foot, also; and a man's eye, are they of his own household.


In other words, it is better to end a relationship with a friend or family member than to miss your opportunity to live forever with your Heavenly Father because that relationship drug you down.

Recognizing this as the extreme case, Christ works backward toward the more forgiving ideal. While terminating relationships is an unfortunate possibility, just as our Father cast out Lucifer, the seriousness of that prospect demands additional attention. In this middle ground between ending relationships and the ideal forgiveness, Christ clarifies that we must do all we can to recover the relationships and the souls involved with three specific steps:

First, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou has gained thy brother.


Next, if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.


And finally, if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 


What the disciplinary councils of the Church bind on earth is also bound in heaven (Matthew 18:18-19). That means that an unrepentant person who is excommunicated from the Church is also removed from his or her fellowship with Christ. They no longer bear his name nor do they qualify to enter the Celestial Kingdom of God. The very salvation of that soul is at great risk, so Christ promises that disciplinary councils will not face the decision alone: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 


We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. We can become pure as a little child and inherit eternal life from our Father in Heaven if we will be humble before Him and enter with faith into the covenant of baptism. Baptism is the covenant that allows us access to the full redeeming power of the Atonement. This is our relationship with God.

Because we are dependent upon the Lord's forgiveness of our every misdeed, we should also be quick to forgive others of their offenses against us. This is the ideal outlined at the end of Matthew 18. No collection of offenses they may have committed against us surpasses the mountain of offenses we have committed against the eternal laws of God. We should settle each offense against us with compassion for the offender.

In some situations, certain offenses may need to be escalated from a private discussion. A family, neighborhood, judicial court or other small group may be called upon to resolve an offense. Even still, compassion is required to provide every possible opportunity for the offended and the offender to recoup their stressed relationship with each other and reinforce their individual relationships with Christ.

When offenses cannot be resolved between individuals or a group of individuals, the disciplinary councils of the Church may intervene. Christ attends every such council and it is the Savior, our eternal judge alongside the Father, who directs the decisions of the disciplinary councils of the Church. Decisions made in these councils are binding on earth and in heaven.

Of those who refuse to hear the voice of the Lord in the councils of the Church, the Lord says to, let them be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican...for it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed than to have friends or family and be cast into hell fire.

So it comes full circle. Seeking the connections in the scriptures has highlighted a collage of principles and doctrines that I previously had not seen. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who make and keep covenant relationships. We form one such relationship with our baptism. Others are forged in the temple, when we welcome a new child into the world or as we become one with our fellow Saints.

May each of us gain the light and truth we need for our lives as we search the scriptures, and may we live worthy to sustain and uphold our covenant relationships.

Don't Be A Goat

In Matthew 24, Christ outlines several of the signs of his Second Coming. This chapter is significant enough to our day that the Joseph Smith translation of Matthew 24 is published in the Pearl of Great Price as Joseph Smith--Matthew.

The very next chapter, Matthew 25, contains three parables used to teach the same principle of preparedness. Just as we see Matthew 24 as a significant chapter at least partially because of its repetition, the repetition of the principles taught in Matthew 25 should be seen as an indication that these principles are significant to our salvation.

The first of these parables is the parable of the ten virgins. Elder Oaks pointed out in 2004 that these virgins were all invited to the feast, an indication that these virgins are symbolic of the members of the Church prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Of ten virgins waiting for admittance to a wedding feast, only five of the virgins in the parable were prepared with enough oil for their lamps to enter the feast when the bridegroom came. The other five, who had gone to get more oil, were denied entrance upon their return. This parable concludes with the warning to, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 25:13).

The second parable is the parable of the talents. In this parable, a man gives each of his three servants a respective number of talents. When he returns, he is pleased to find that two of his servants have doubled their allotment. The third, unprepared servant had done nothing with the talents he had been given and is chastised for not even collecting the interest on the investment given to him. The talent of the third servant is then given to the first with the warning that unprofitable servants will be cast into outer darkness.

Finally, we read that Christ shall come again he will divide the sheep from the goats. The sheep, as metaphors for the faithful who were prepared for Christ at his coming, will then inherit the kingdom of God while the unfaithful, unprepared goats will go away into everlasting punishment (v. 34, 46).

In the third parable encouraging us to be prepared for the Second Coming, Christ teaches us what we must do. That is, Christ teaches us how to be a sheep instead of a goat. After teaching that he will separate the sheep from the goats and put the sheep on his right hand, he says:

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 


This is, then, the key. Service to Christ is how we can be prepared for the wedding feast, multiply our talents and be counted with the sheep. To be absolutely clear, Christ continues:


Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.


The point here is one with which we are all familiar. Those who will be saved in the Kingdom of God will not be the selfish, but the servants. As we are willing to serve Christ by serving those around us, we will be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ and will be on his right hand. This is a task that is within our grasp-- if you just have the wisdom to not be a goat.

Apocalyptic Revelation, Jewish Symbolism and the Revelation of St. John the Divine

Originally published on my family blog on April 10, 2008; introduction updated for context.

Several years ago, while an undergraduate student at BYU, I took a New Testament class from Dr. Steven Robinson. Dr. Robinson was a doctor of biblical studies who had worked with the Dead Sea Scrolls, led religion departments at two Christian universities and was a widely read author with many publications.

One particular class was titled, "Apocalyptic Revelation, Jewish Symbolism and the Revelation of St. John the Divine." What follows are my notes from that class on the final book of the New Testament.

First, the Revelation of St. John the Divine is like a play. Whether played out on Broadway, in community theatre, or at the local high school, a play does not change. The actors may change, but the characters do not, nor do the events of the play.

In a similar fashion, many of the same events occur in each dispensation. For example, Revelation 11:8, speaking of a prophecy that refers to two prophets lying dead in the street, reads, "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." Sodom, Egypt and Jerusalem have a very striking similarity: Each was the Babylon of its dispensation. In theatrical terms, these three cities were the actors that played the role of "Babylon" in the play.

The important point to understand is that the events described in Revelation don't necessarily refer to one particular event, but rather describe a recurring cycle that plays itself out in each dispensation.

Viewed from this perspective, we can see additional characters in our play include Zion, the woman, the deliverer, the whore, and others. As with Babylon, each of these and the other characters is played by a different actor in each dispensation-- Zion, as a second example, has been the cities of Enoch, Jerusalem, and Independence. The actors are new, but the story is still much the same in each dispensation.

John writes by way of introduction in Revelation 1:3, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." We might say, "The time is now," or, "Hey, Stupid, this is what is happening right now all around you." This, along with the apocalyptic nature of the revelation described, suggest there is much more symbolic than concrete, and present than future being explained.

For a final example of the grand play, Revelation 11 contains the prophecy of the two prophets that will die in the streets and rise after 3 1/2 days. But pay close attention to how these prophets are described in Revelation 11:6, "These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will." Sound familiar? Keeping the Jewish context in mind, didn't Elijah have power to shut heaven so it didn't rain? Didn't Moses turn water to blood and smite the earth with numerous plagues?

Interestingly, Moses and Elijah often appear together, most often symbolizing the Aaronic and Mechizedek priesthoods, respectively. In addition, 3 1/2 is a symbolic number that represents a time when Satan has power to reign on Earth. Using these symbols, we could also read that the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods will die, leaving a period of time when the devil will rule.

If you need a smack on the forehead here, this sounds a lot like an apostasy. And, as the two prophets rise after 3 1/2 days, each apostasy ends with the return of priesthood keys and authority to the earth. In a final return to the theatre analogy, though the story is often the same, there have been repeated apostasies and restorations throughout time-- none exactly the same, but always very similar.

Here's a few other notes on Hebraic symbolism-- freebies, if you will. I'll try to keep this part brief, but I'm interested to hear what anyone thinks about the book Joseph Smith once called the easiest to understand.

Eyes = Wisdom
Horns = Power
Wings = Mobility
12 = Priesthood or Power
24 = 2 x 12, or two powerful beings/persons (Revelation 4:4, 11:16)
144,000 = 12 x 12 x 12 a whole lot of times…. A lot of people, God’s elect
7 = Perfection
6 = Satan, Imperfection
666 = Antichrist-- almost but not 7
40 = Purification/Preparation (How many people spent 40 days in the wilderness....)
3 ½ = A time when Satan is in charge, his reign

See also: http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=90